Time to step out of the Valley of Decision… and step up to the Mt. of Determination

June 27, 2025

Dear Mishpacha,

If there is one verse that readjusts my thinking, this is it.

“Be strong and courageous!”

It is mentioned ten times in the Hebrew Bible, eight of them directed to Joshua, arguably the best military leader in Israel’s history. In Hebrew, the words are “chazak v’emetz,” which can be translated, “be confident and determined.” Joshua needed some early reminders, but by Israel’s third campaign, he was convinced of God’s covenant promises and began teaching his troops the same.

I am confident that the message of Comfort My People is God’s message. We do not own it. Prophetically, it is a word for the Church, yet it has been overlooked, misunderstood, or misappropriated for many years. We are determined to bring that phrase back to the forefront for the sake of the Kingdom and the benefit of all.

“Nachmu” is the Hebrew word for comfort. It is in the imperative form and repeated for emphasis to assure the reader that it is a command from the Lord.

"Comfort, comfort my people!!"

“Nachmu” and Noah have the same root. Literally the command could translate, “Be a Noah to my people”. He was a righteous man. He preached God’s mercy and a means to escape the wrath to come. That is the gospel, which is the substance of the Abrahamic blessing. Sadly, the good news has been withheld from the Jews for ages.

As the early church grew, the number of Gentiles outnumbered the Jews. During that time the Temple was destroyed, and Jerusalem burnt to the ground. They concluded that God was finished with the Jews for rejecting Jesus. They were forbidden from becoming members of the Body of Christ unless they renounced their faith and practice. Things only worsened over time as the Jews were distanced from the gospel, which became a barrier instead of blessing.

The command to comfort the Jews in their broken state was exchanged for a curse. The Jews were left without hope and the church without Jews. One lived in fear of extinction and the other in a place of limitation.

Now is the time to reverse that trend by obeying God's command.

It is a consensus among the Believers in Israel that Isaiah 40:1,2 is the only approach to reach the Jewish people. As a prophet, Isaiah saw the day when the pain of rejection and fear of annihilation would be too much to bear. Historically that has been true in varying degrees for every generation of Jews since the second century ~ 2 AD.

Now it has reached a climax. This is where you can step in to the solution.

Some of you may be thinking, “I’m tired, I’m weak, and my plate is full.”

I get it, but excuses only work for those who make them, they do not work in the Kingdom. Let me explain.

Isaiah 40 opens with a command and closes with a blessing—
a blessing to counter our weaknesses by our obedience.

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

This runs parallel to Genesis 12:3, speaking to Abram and his descendants.

“…I will bless those who bless you…”

CMP is determined to run with this vision and make it plain so that Christians will agree that obeying God’s command is a benefit, not a burden, and become co-laborers and fellow soldiers—Jews and Gentiles together, according to His eternal purpose. (Ephesians 3:11)

This is not a new undertaking. As we grow in our understanding of the times, it appears that the times of the Gentiles is wrapping up. The Jews are not only back in the Land, but the Gospel is making its appearance throughout Israel in ways reminiscent of the early church.

The seeds sown in tears are breaking through the ground of adversity. Could it be harvest time—the time to rejoice and pray for more laborers in the field?

One would think so.

But when a Pastor was asked recently why he rarely mentioned the people of Israel and why the church had not prayed for Israel since Oct 7, he answered with all seriousness that,

“Israel is a sensitive subject.”

It is also sensitive to God. Look what He says about her.

“I will make you my wife forever,” (Hosea 2:19)

“…for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.” (Zech. 2:8)

Comfort My People sends out a Mailchimp to those who have signed up. I am grateful to each of you for that. If you are a regular reader, you know we address you as “Mishpacha,” which is the Hebrew name for family. You also know by now that we support 12 ministries in Israel who are sharing the gospel of Yeshua with great zeal and creativity. That makes us a rare ministry in a very specific way.

Many churches and Christian organizations financially support Israel, no doubt with good intentions. What they don’t know (I assume) is that 97% of their donations go to humanitarian and social causes, or political support, not to Messianic believers. In fact some of their money goes to oppose their efforts!

CMP is a non-profit 501c3 organization, which means your gifts are tax-deductible under the full extent of the law.

We are a small faith-based staff. By the grace of God though, we can receive donations designated for staff salaries. If a donation is not designated for staff, it is distributed directly to our partners. We do not take a percentage for overhead. One hundred percent of your donation goes to our partners, who are hard at work and very fruitful.

All our partners are sharing the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah as well as serving the poor and downtrodden. Each of them is doing so with respect and compassion, without any strings attached. That is who Jesus is. He doesn’t need any gimmicks to get His message across.

Our partners are on the frontline meeting critical needs as they surface, especially since October 7. Over 15,000 people have been recently displaced from their homes and countless cars destroyed. The Messianic believers—our partners– have become recognized as a source of relief and comfort since the wars began. This is thanks to you who have donated! Our role is to stand with our “mishpacha” and assure them of our love and support. We have seen their integrity and uncompromised efforts to represent the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to all citizens.

I fear though, that I have failed to let you know that you can join us in supporting them, because relatively few have done so. Forgive me for not letting our needs be known.

The Jewish people in Israel are the most unreached people group in the world for the longest period of history. It is not rational. They wrote the Book and they were the prophets, the disciples, and the Messiah. They would love moral support–at least recognition from the Church, but they have gotten mostly silence in return.

Is Israel merely a sensitive subject?

God has promised the Jews would always be here, and the Land would always be theirs. It is like a stage where the natural and the supernatural intersect. Many miracles have occurred since Oct 7, when it looked like Israel could not stand up against the hell-bent fury from her enemies on every side. Most Americans are unaware that if not for Israel’s resolve to defeat them, our shores would be infiltrated with Islamic militants.

Strangely, in return they receive false accusations from every direction. Does that trouble you? Biblically they are your brothers and sisters in the faith. They want to believe that they are members of the same Body and joint heirs of the promises in Jesus but receive little indication from abroad.

We have begun a campaign to better inform you biblically and relationally. If you would like to encourage Israeli believers, there are a few ways I suggest. The easiest is on social media. Please share our posts for starters. Second, talk to your pastors, ask them what their perspective is on Israel. Tell them you want to understand Israel and how the Jewish people fit in. Invite them to support Israeli believers in their efforts to share the gospel. We are eager to help and easy to contact. Third, you can join our Advocacy Tours when we reopen.

Some of you have been faithfully and generously supporting our partners since you first heard of CMP. You have made an impact. Our partners are extremely grateful, as are we.

CMP has blessed the lives of children, unwed mothers, Holocaust survivors, soldiers, Arabs, Palestinians, Druze, Ethiopian, Russian, Ukrainian, Uruguayan, Uzbekistani, and many more ordinary brothers and sisters doing supernatural work. They are heroes of the faith and deeply grateful for your sacrificial love and concern.

I believe there is a remnant on our mailing list that wants to do more, and some who want to begin doing something. We welcome your assistance.

“Chazak v’emetz!”

In the Love of Yeshua, Shalom!

Paul

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